Bandits’ drug supplier ‘Gamboli’ arrested after weeks on the run in Niger

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a notorious drug supplier linked to bandits operating in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

The suspect, 33-year-old Mohammed Sani, popularly known as Gamboli, was apprehended three weeks after he escaped arrest during a raid on his residence in Anguwan Makera, Kuta.

NDLEA operatives had stormed his home on November 20, 2025, following intelligence reports and recovered 471.8 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, but the suspect fled the scene.

According to the agency, sustained intelligence gathering led to Gamboli’s arrest on Thursday, December 11, at one of his drug joints in Anguwan Fadama, Kuta.

Investigations revealed that he was a major supplier of illicit drugs to bandits terrorising communities in Shiroro and surrounding areas.

In a related development, NDLEA operatives in Ondo State arrested a 55-year-old woman, Veronica Obi, and her 29-year-old son, Bright Obi, after raiding their residence in Ogbese, Akure North Local Government Area.

The operation led to the seizure of 1,187 kilograms of skunk and cannabis seeds.

Similar operations were carried out across several states, including Edo, Gombe, Ogun, Lagos, Enugu, and Oyo, resulting in multiple arrests and large seizures of skunk and tramadol.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), commended the operatives for their efforts and urged them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach of drug supply reduction and public sensitisation.